Brighton Photo Biennial 2010
For its fourth edition, Brighton Photo Biennial is delighted to be working with the internationally renowned photographer, editor and curator Martin Parr.
“As curator, I want to make this festival fresh, distinctive and focused on Brighton & Hove. This city is the ideal venue for a Photo Biennial. It has a natural cultural constituency of its own, and its proximity to London promises a potentially huge audience. By presenting the very best new work in an exciting and imaginative way, Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 will continue to put photography in Brighton & Hove on the national and international map.
As well as using existing partner venue networks, with the keynote exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, we shall premiere new and recent work by international photographer's in an unusual, alternative exhibition space at a central city location. This will be a Biennial that can be viewed by people on foot. Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 will be the first frame-free photography festival in the world: it will reflect the immediacy and vibrancy of contemporary photography. The images will be pinned onto walls, and many other different surfaces. We shall work with commercial partners such as manufacturers of state-of-the-art digital printers, who will make all the prints.
The Biennial’s main theme will be New Documents. All the work will be new, and on the cutting edge of photography. This festival will be about the process of discovery, with opportunities to see and engage with exciting contemporary work. In my travels round the world, I have been seeking out new photography from Japan, Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as Europe and North America.
Five of the international photographers have been commissioned to produce new work in response to Brighton & Hove. Many of the images by exhibiting international photographers will represent their responses to Brighton & Hove. There will be ample opportunities for participation by people of all ages through a wide range of community and educational events. The Opening Weekend will be a must-attend event for anyone interested in photography. Shows will open until late; and there will be an information, a publishers and social hubs at the University of Brighton, with talks by invited photographers and panel discussions exploring issues such as: photography publishing and the future of documentary practice.”
About the organisation
Brighton Photo Biennial is an ambitious celebration of international photographic practice, firmly established in the national and international calendar, and is now looking forward to its 2010 edition. Brighton Photo Biennial presents the work of international artists from a range of cultural backgrounds, commissioning new work, premiering recent work and exhibiting historical work in new contexts.
The Biennial is committed to delivering challenging events and stimulating critical debate on photography in all its forms: new and historic, digital and analogue, still and moving. Through this, the Biennial aims to reach the widest possible audiences creating exciting opportunities for participation and engagement.
Brighton Photo Biennial runs a continuous Education Programme that is active during and between Biennials, creating grass roots projects with local communities, artists and individuals. The Biennial delivers artist led projects with schools and a diverse range of community groups that seek to engage people in photographic practice and debate.
The Biennial began in 2003 with two further editions delivered in 2006 and 2008, of which the latter is available for ongoing commentary, updated information and education projects.
The Biennial is a partnership organisation and works with a diverse and exciting range of galleries, visual arts organisations and educational institutions in the city of Brighton & Hove and in cities and venues across the South East region. Its founding partners are the University of Brighton, which hosts the Biennial office and Photoworks, the UK’s leading visual arts agency for photography that commissions new work, produces exhibitions and publications and initiates research and education programmes. The Biennial also works in close partnership with Brighton Photo Fringe by collaborating on various projects and creating joint platforms. Brighton Photo Fringe supports the wider community of photographers and lens-based artists by opening up spaces, co-ordinating participatory projects and creating opportunities for emerging practitioners.
Participating galleries, visual arts organisations and networks for the BPB 2010 curated programme in Brighton & Hove are: Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Design Council Archives, Fabrica, Lighthouse, Photoworks and University of Brighton Gallery. And participating venues and cities across the South East region for the BPB 2010 related exhibitions programme are: Aspex (Portsmouth), Pallant House Gallery (Chichester), Towner (Eastbourne) and De La Warr Pavilion (Bexhill on Sea).
Brighton Photo Biennial is financially supported by Arts Council England, Brighton & Hove City Council. It's core partners are the University of Brighton and the UK's leading agency for photography, Photoworks. For it's fourth edition, the Biennial gratefully acknowledges the support of it's headline commercial sponsors and partners: Hewlett Packard and Blurb.
The Biennial is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.